One of the many expectations of Banff is that if it's expensive you're going to get a bang for your buck. Wrong! In Banff you have to know what you're up against. Banff is a very expensive town so what one might think is expensive it's on the low end of the price spectrum in Banff. At a non fast food restaurant, for lunch at Banff you can expect about $20 per person and up and for dinner you're looking at around $30 and up. One might say it's a tourist town it's a tourist trap. This statement can be right but if you know the little gems you might be happier and more obliged to pay that extra cash....
There is a phenomina in Banff that all visitors will notice when they arrive. Almost none of the waitering and waitressing staff are Canadian. They are all young people that are on a work visa from Australia and New Zealand. This is because we have a program with these two countries to allow our citizens to work abroad in each other's nation. Banff is one of the most obvious of choice for these outdoor loving Aussies and Kiwis (snowboarding and skiing mainly). Because of this, many visitors may find service lacking in many restaurants they visit. This isn't to say all restaurants are like this. As I mentioned earlier there are some hidden gems. There are some restaurants that hire staff that are willing to stay longer than a summer/winter and actually have the staffed trained. One just have to go off the beaten track of the fast food, and your regular chain restaurants all glammed up and try out some of the restaurants that you would only see in banff or even what looks like a hole in the wall you'll find some delightful surprises. This is not say the prices are going to be any cheaper. Consider prices you find at Tony Roma, Earls, The Keg as starting prices in the town of Banff as restaurants go.
A common misconception among visitors is that "if I just go to one of the restaurants in Banff Springs Hotel it can't go wrong..." this is incorrect. Most of the restaurants in the Banff Springs Hotel are quite casual as well. If going to the Bow Valley Grill is what you consider fine dining, you're wrong as well. It's as the name indicates it's a grill just a higher end more expensive steakhouse with wild game on their menu. The Waldhaus would be considered fine dining at the Banff Springs Hotel and comes highly recommended (see my review). The Rundle lounge is a lounge that is on the second floor of a lobby area but have Afternoon Tea service (see review) available daily but again don't have high expectation of service.You will also notice there is alot of Asian cuisines in the area. That is because this is a favourite hot spot for Japanese immigrant to settle. In saying so one can find some really yummy authentic Japanese cuisine. Who would have thought.
So where are the hidden gems of Banff well click on Banff in my reviews and take a look. Forewarning, Banff does specialize in Canadian Rocky Mountain cuisine which is influenced heavily by German culinary styles, but that is what they're the best at.
